On my census of Cowan Lake waterfowl this evening, I was treated to a fly-by of the two Long-tailed Ducks reported earlier today by Beth Mitchell and Larry Gara. I also had a female Black Scoter. Scoters have become rare but regular in these parts (Cowan, Caesar Creek, and Larry Roberts's pond). We get a one or two a year, usually black and/or white-winged. No sign of the eagles. I counted a total of 1080 waterfowl of 17 species. The lake has been drawn down about four feet to facilitate replacement of the sailboat docks in the east end. I believe this had the effect of depressing Canada Goose and Mallard numbers, which are now getting back up to normal. By this afternoon, the lake was 90% ice-free. Consequently, the birds were scattered over a much wider area. Cheers, Bob -- Robert D Powell Congress Farm Research Institute Wilmington, OH, USA [log in to unmask] http://rdp1710.wordpress.com Nulla dies sine aves ______________________________________________________________________ Ohio-birds mailing list, a service of the Ohio Ornithological Society. Our thanks to Miami University for hosting this mailing list. Additional discussions can be found in our forums, at www.ohiobirds.org/forum/. You can join or leave the list, or change your options, at: http://listserv.muohio.edu/scripts/wa.exe?LIST=OHIO-BIRDS Send questions or comments about the list to: [log in to unmask]